


Fool For Love

by humanities_angstiest



Series: Hold Onto Me [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Developing Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gay Keith (Voltron), Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Hunk (Voltron) is so Pure, Hurt/Comfort, I’m sorry for hurting you my precious child, Keith (Voltron) Angst, Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings, M/M, Misunderstandings, Multi, Orphan Keith (Voltron), Pining Hunk (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Polyamorous Voltron Paladins, Sad Keith (Voltron), all the keith things because i love keith, but not really, cool that’s a tag, lance is pure too, they’re all precious beans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-16
Updated: 2017-04-02
Packaged: 2018-10-06 01:18:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10322240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/humanities_angstiest/pseuds/humanities_angstiest
Summary: Lance and Hunk agree to not let their feelings for Keith get in the way of their friendship as they both try to win Keith’s affections. Unfortunately, this agreement backfires and Keith suffers.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you everyone who kudo’d and commented on "I Could Hold You In My Arms." I never expected such an amazing response and it made me really happy. So as requested, here is more!

Hunk tried, he honestly tried, to keep his cool.

But watching Lance attempt his ridiculous pick-up lines on Keith and receive a light blush in response is where Hunk draws the line. He may be seen as the gentle giant on this spaceship but he is not a saint, and he will not be the pitied side character that buries his feelings to let his best friend get the guy.

Lance is leaning with one arm against the wall, holding Keith in place with his stupidly charming smile, and Hunk hears, “If you were a laser, you’d be set on stunning.”

“Lasers don’t stun.” Keith responds immediately as if he expected it —which, _no_ , Keith should be scowling at Lance and walking away, _not_ deflecting cringey one-liners.

Lance pouts his lips and whines, “Keeeiiith! I can’t tell if you’re playing with me. But whatever, I have tons more to try on you. Eventually you’ll have to accept one of them.”

Before Lance can make good on his word, Hunk takes a running start and slams into him, smushing the blue paladin against the castle wall and yelling, “Form Voltron!”

Lance’s eyes are comically wide in surprise before they narrow into a glare. “Hunk! What the hell, man!”

Hunk ignores the glare. “Sorry, thought we should practice.”

“Practice what?!” Lance rubs his sore shoulder, intensifying his glare but still not receiving an apologetic look from his stone-faced friend. “We aren’t in our lions, and anyway we figured out, like, _months_ ago, that they don’t combine by knocking into each other.”

“Oops. Sorry,” Hunk replies, not sounding the slightest bit sorry. “Guess I was thinking about practicing our bonding.”

“We’ve been best friends since our first year in the Garrison. What more bonding do we need?”

Hunk moves between the red and blue paladins. “You’re right, which is why Keith and I should spend more time together.” Hunk faces Keith with a warm smile that the shorter paladin unintentionally mimics —it’s an effect Hunk has on people — though Keith’s smile is more contained.

“Come on, Keith. Let’s go to the kitchen and I’ll make us a snack while we bond.” Hunk slips his hand into Keith’s, who is too stunned by the action to protest — and perhaps, Hunk thinks wishfully, is at ease with his touch after their shower escapades and nighttime cuddling after Keith’s nightmares — and lets Hunk lead him to the kitchen as Lance splutters behind them.

Hunk directs Keith to a barstool at the counter. He regretfully releases the hand dwarfed in his own to move into the center of the kitchen, opening cabinets and withdrawing appliances and ingredients.

“Is there anything you’re in the mood for?”

Keith shakes his head and watches Hunk dance through the kitchen, twirling around after retrieving the blender from a cabinet and creating music with every item he drops or slides along the counter. It warms Keith to watch Hunk in his element. Keith briefly wonders if anyone has felt that way about him when they see him fighting or flying, but shoves the preposterous thought away.

“There is this recipe I’ve wanted to try for a while but we never had the right type of ingredients until now. Those Muxchocyes were super generous with the presents they gave us after we got rid of that Galra compound for them. Here, smell this.”

Hunk pushes a jar of something that resembles mashed bananas under Keith’s nose and Keith’s impulse is to turn his head away, but he indulges his friend and sniffs. He breathes in deeper when the initial sniff test isn’t as off-putting as he assumed. The contents smell strongly of vanilla, with a mild floral scent peeking through.

“I’m going to make cupcakes for us all to enjoy after dinner.” Hunk scratches under his chin. "Well, I hope it turns out like cupcakes. I’m never sure with these Altean recipes, the descriptions are kinda vague…” Keith leans across the counter to read the recipe upside down.

_Good for healing and fresh breath. The perfect snack after fighting a Balywikk._

“You could ask Coran,” Keith suggests.

“Nah, that takes the surprise out of it.” Hunk grins broadly. Or was he already grinning? When isn’t there a smile on Hunk’s face, now that Keith thinks of it? He can see why Lance is Hunk’s best friend and vice versa. They are both always happy, always smiling. Maybe if Keith smiled more, his old friend wouldn’t be darkness.

Hunk bustles around, scooping pale green powder into the blender then adding the alien equivalent of an egg. The shell is spotted pink and green but the egg and yolk look the way Keith expects an egg to look, which is a small relief.

“Is there anything I can do?” Keith questions uncertainly when waiting for Hunk to give him instructions fails. Hunk pours a milky-colored liquid into the blender, glancing up in surprise.

“You want to? I thought you’d want to be the taste-tester.”

“I’ll be the taste tester,” Keith says with such solemnity that Hunk chuckles. “But you love cooking, so I’m curious to see why. And I hate sitting around doing nothing.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” Hunk stares pointedly at Keith’s fingers drumming on the countertop. “Want to make the frosting?”

Keith slips off his barstool in response and circles the kitchen counter to stand beside Hunk. “The measurements are here,” Hunk points to a section in the lower right hand corner of the recipe, “and I’ve already gathered the ingredients. Ask me if you have any questions.”

Keith has a lot of questions, looking at the alien measuring system and ingredients list. The paladins quickly switch their arrangement; Hunk does the measuring and Keith finds familiarity wielding a knife to peel and dice the tubers.

“Taste this,” Hunk commands, pressing a spoon into Keith’s mouth when the red paladin separates his lips to speak. Taken by surprise, Keith coughs around the intrusion and Hunk quickly removes the spoon.

“Sorry, sorry! Are you okay?” Hunk hovers in front of Keith with a worrying frown.

Keith stops coughing and waves his hand to shoo away Hunk’s apologies. “I’m fine, you just surprised me. I wasn’t expecting you to shove it down my throat.”

At this inopportune moment, Lance walks by the kitchen, freezing in his tracks at Keith’s words and peeking inside to see Keith wipe something off his lips. Lance stands in place fuming long enough for his misunderstanding to be cleared up.

“Shall we give this another try?” Hunk suggests, holding the spoon a polite distance away from Keith’s lips.

Keith smiles good-naturedly and opens his mouth obligingly for Hunk to slide the spoon of frosting in. Keith replaces Hunk’s hold on the spoon, withdrawing it from his mouth in a tantalizingly slow pull that captivates Hunk and the peeping Lance.

“Mm, it’s delicious,” Keith says approvingly, unaware of the effect he is having on his teammates as his pink tongue peeks out to lick away the remaining frosting on the spoon.

Hunk makes a garbled noise and turns his back on Keith to collect himself. “That’s good. I’m glad. I’m going to frost these cupcakes now.” His robotic speech goes unnoticed as the black-haired teen hops onto the counter and leans back on his hands to watch Hunk delicately pipe the frosting onto the yellow cupcakes.

Lance shuffles down the hallway, wishing he could feel angry with his best friend for competing with him over his first real crush — because Hunk knows that Lance’s flirting is never serious, unlike his feelings for Keith — but can’t feel anything but bittersweet happiness as he remembers Keith’s soft eyes and matching smile as he effortlessly filled a space his best friend didn’t know was empty in his kitchen until Keith came along and filled it.

After dinner and everyone’s exclamations of joy at the fluffy, squash-like cupcakes with the hibiscus-vanilla frosting — and Hunk praising a bashful Keith for his help, much to everyone but Lance’s surprise — Lance pulls his friend to the side while everyone heads to the lounge to watch an Altean film.

“What’s up, man?”

Lance crosses his arms and straightens his posture. “I’m not backing down.”

Hunk’s demeanor changes and he too crosses his arms. “Me neither.”

“Good.”

Hunk’s shoulders relax in surprise. “What?”

“I want us both to give our all. That way, whoever Keith chooses, the other will have to accept it.” Lance scuffs his shoe against the ground and uncrosses his arms to hold a hand out to Hunk.

“I don’t want this to get in the way of our friendship. And it always does in the movies. But you and I are different. It’s you and me till the end, buddy. So let’s promise to not let a mutual crush get in the way of that.”

Hunk sniffles and ignores Lance’s outstretched hand in favor of wrapping his best friend in a bear hug. “Of course, Lance. Nothing can come between us.”

They part on a promise they dearly hope to keep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Geez, it’s always amazing to see how much changes every time I edit. I think the chapter is as perfect as I can make it, wait a day to edit just in case, and find a lot I want to change. This time I was giving the chapter one last read through before posting and realized there was a timeline discrepancy which took an hour to fix. But now I think it is finally as good as I can make it. Hopefully.

Lance flops next to Keith on the couch and Hunk smiles reassuringly at Lance as he sits in the armchair next to Coran, instantly being drawn into a discussion on the cupcake recipe Coran never realized he was making wrong until tonight. He always assumed the cakes were supposed to be chewy and the frosting runny.

Lance can tell immediately how entertaining the film is by the expressions on his fellow paladin’s faces. Pidge is not even attempting to fake interest; she has her laptop in front of her and green code runs across the screen as her fingers fly. Shiro has a grimacing smile plastered on his face to appease the princess, who is excitedly clutching Shiro’s robotic arm as she whispers explanations of the plot. It is unclear who decided to show no-fucks-given first; Pidge, sitting on the ground with her laptop in front of her, or Keith, sharpening his blade with another blade and entirely unapologetic about the metallic sounds interrupting the film.

Lance nudges Keith in the arm. “Want to get out of here?”

The red paladin lowers his blades to his lap and turns to Lance with a question in his eyes separate from the question he asks. “And go where?”

Lance pauses, not having thought this far. “Uh, we could go back to my room and watch a movie?”

Last month, Lance struck a deal with Pidge. He distracted Shiro so Pidge could stay up past the Shiro-appointed bedtime and in return she let Lance copy her collection of illegally downloaded movies onto the laptop she built each of them as a three-months-in-space anniversary present. It is a good collection too; there are a lot of sci-fi classics, Joss Whedon tv series, and animated gold to choose from.

Keith keeps pace beside Lance as they walk to his room and Lance might trip once or twice (twice) when he thinks about watching a movie with Keith. Alone. In his room. Like a date.

The brunet pulls the blankets out of their tucked-in state around the mattress and shoves them at the head of the bed where an overdose of fluffy pillows are stacked. In the empty space at the foot of the bed he positions his laptop, tapping on the mousepad to wake the sleeping screen.

When the movie options are pulled up, Lance turns to tell Keith to choose one only to come nose to nose with the red paladin. He had been so quiet, Lance didn’t hear him approach. Lance does not squeak. In response to the squeak Lance does not make, Keith chuckles and brushes Lance’s hand aside to scroll down the laptop trackpad and see the movies listed. Lance’s skin tingles from the brief brush of warmth.

“I haven’t seen this movie since I was a kid.” Lance catches the softness in his teammate’s eyes and knows he will make no complaints against whatever movie Keith chooses, even if it is something painful like a Star Wars prequel movie. _I don’t like sand… *Cringe*._

Instead, when Lance looks at the laptop screen, the mouse is hovering over _The Road to El Dorado_.

Lance wraps his hands around Keith’s biceps and shakes him. “Dude. I. Love. This. Movie.” Keith grins back at Lance’s enthusiasm.

“You better believe I’m singing along to every song,” Lance warns as he moves up the bed, Keith following his lead to sit with his back against the wall.

“If your screeching prevents me from hearing Elton John’s resonant voice, I will push you off your bed.”

Keith snatches the blankets and smooths them across his lap, turning to Lance when the silence stretches. “What?”

“‘Resonant’?”

Violet eyes roll as they often do at something Lance says, but this time Lance spots genuine irritation. “I was kicked out of the Garrison for disciplinary issues, not because I wasn’t passing my classes.”

“No, no,” Lance waves his arms to erase the misunderstanding. “I know you’re smart, it was just surprising. Most people say, like, ‘beautiful’ or ‘wonderful.’ They don’t take the time to be specific.”

Keith tucks the blankets tighter around him. Lance observes his teammate in the attentive way very few believe he is capable of. He can understand how Keith feels more than the red paladin believes. Being seen only for your quick temper and blunt mannerisms. Mistakenly characterized as unintelligent. It hurts. It also hurts to be seen as the energetic, happy-go-lucky guy and believed to lack seriousness.

“Does it bother you that you were kicked out of the Garrison?”

Keith scowls. “What do you think?”

Lance raises his hands defensively. “You never talk about it, so I figured you didn’t miss it. That the structured life of a cadet wasn’t for you.”

Keith turns his fierce eyes on Lance. “Of course I wouldn’t talk about it with _you_.” Lance withholds a flinch at Keith’s cold emphasis on ‘you,’ but can’t with his next words. “Like you said, if it weren’t for me _washing out_ , you wouldn’t have been able to join the fighter class.”

“Keith…”

Keith glares at the laptop. “Well? Are you going to start the movie?”

Lance’s brows furrow but Keith refuses to face him. Lance gets the message and presses play on his laptop. The intro music starts and Lance pulls at the edge of his blanket trapped underneath Keith. Keith rocks to the left, releasing the corner of the blanket, and nods when Lance mumbles, “Thanks.”

They quietly sit together watching the film until the first notes of “The Trail We Blaze” flow from the laptop speakers. Keith murmurs the lyrics with a smile, safe to do so under the cover of Lance belting out the words.

“I feel bad for Shiro,” Lance sighs as the end credits roll, remembering their leader who is most definitely still being held hostage through the fault of his polite nature. He’ll need a rescue extraction eventually. Pidge accurately defined Altean movies as five books combined into one film, except the directors feel that every detail is important and must be kept. So basically they are weekend-long commitments. “Space Dad is really taking one for the team.”

Keith snorts at the nickname; his brother has always been too mature for his own good. “I wouldn’t feel too bad. He gets to spend time with Allura.” Keith’s eyes shift to the side to look at Lance’s profile before darting back to the movie. “I’m surprised you’re not fighting Shiro for Allura’s attention,” Keith says, hyper-focused on the laptop screen.

 _No, I’m fighting Hunk for yours._ Lance schools his expression to hide his longing and shrugs nonchalantly. “Eh, I only flirt with Allura for fun. I don’t want to date her for realz.”

“Oh.”

The word is small but captures Lance’s attention. Keith is still staring intently at the screen, but Lance doesn’t think he is imagining the small smile curving the corner of Keith’s mouth. If…if Keith is asking about his feelings for Allura—in a roundabout way, but still—, does that mean he cares who Lance flirts with? Lance can only hope. He takes a chance by scooting closer to Keith on the bed, opening his blanket to wrap around his teammate and pull him close, practically cradling the shorter male in his arms. Nothing weird about it. Lance considers it a success when Keith doesn’t protest, and later falls asleep in his bed.

 

  
***

 

Hunk is used to Lance sleeping late, and Pidge sleeping late if she goes to bed in the first place, but not Keith. Keith is the only one Hunk can count on to be awake while he makes breakfast, stopping by to say good morning before heading to the training room for a light workout.

But not today. Breakfast is ready and only Shiro, Allura, and Coran are sitting at the table. Pidge’s whereabouts are well-known. They can hear her snoring from the lounge floor where she fell asleep programming last night.

The blue paladin’s absence is expected, but in combination with the red paladin’s Hunk has reason to be suspicious. There is nothing wrong with a friendly visit to Lance’s room to wake his friend up for breakfast. Nothing wrong at all. Hunk is being a good friend. And if he so happens to verify some things for himself, then at least he won’t be blindsided later on.

Still, the sight of Lance holding Keith in his arms, wrapped together in a blanket burrito and sound asleep in Lance’s bed, is painful to accept. Hunk’s glass heart shatters outwards at the sight, the sharp shards embedding themselves in his lungs and making it hurt to breathe. Hunk softly closes the door behind him and returns to the kitchen without releasing a sound or letting his facial expression reflect his heartache. The only salve to dull the splintered pieces of his heart is the memory of Keith’s peaceful face resting in the crook of Lance’s elbow. As long as Lance makes Keith happy, Hunk is happy.

How can he not be, after seeing the paladin spirits of fire and water content in each other’s arms instead of clashing? The Voltron team wholeheartedly does not want to return to the early days of juvenile taunts and pointless competitions.

No, this is better. Who is Hunk to stand in the way? He knows he made a promise to Lance, but this morning’s reveal made things as clear as Lance’s complexion.

Hunk will graciously step back.

Keith isn’t making it easy for him though. When Hunk tells a joke during their downtime, the red paladin’s eyes crinkle and his head tilts back slightly as he laughs boisterously. The sight steals Hunk’s breath away because he made Keith’s face do that and he pulled that sound from him. Hunk’s chest swells with pride before deflating when he spots Lance’s warm smile directed at the beautiful sight. Hunk takes a deep breath and forces a smile back on his face. He made Keith laugh which made his best friend smile. He can take pride in this.

Cooking dinner together has simultaneously become the best and worst part of Hunk’s days. No one has commented on the deteriorating quality of the food served, assuming it is Keith’s assistance in the kitchen that is the cause, but Hunk knows it is entirely his fault. Whenever Keith says or does something, the yellow paladin turns into a clumsy, distracted, lovesick fool. And since Keith says or does something often, his mistakes add up. He loses himself watching Keith’s petal pink lips speak, pouring an entire bottle of salt into the bowl instead of adding a pinch, and is only shaken out of his stupor by Keith’s laughter. It is embarrassing and his cheeks warm, but happiness warms him as well to see the smiles that grow wider on Keith’s face every time they hang out.

It is torturous, however, knowing Keith is not his and those smiles are nothing more than friendly. After a week of working side by side in the kitchen, Hunk decides it is time to properly admit defeat. Otherwise he will keep torturing himself, believing he still has a chance. The memory of Lance and Keith cuddled together in bed always intervenes to remind him he doesn’t.

The red paladin enters the kitchen while Hunk is prepping dinner and situates himself in what has become his usual spot on the counter, the spot Hunk has made a habit of leaving clear of ingredients and pans.

“Need any help?” Keith offers, lazily tossing his blade in the air and catching it by the handle. Hunk swallows and looks away because tossing knives shouldn’t be sexy but it is when Keith does it with no thought about the action at all. Hunk knows Keith isn’t flirting or showing off; it is merely the product of his need to be moving and his comfort with blades.

“All good here. Why don’t you find Lance and keep him company until dinner?” The least Hunk can do is be Lance's wingman.

“Oh. You sure?” Hunk keeps his back to Keith and pretends not to hear the disappointment in his friend’s voice.

“Yeah, I don’t need any help,” Hunk assures, more to himself than the other person in the room.

Keith nods warily, wondering if he did anything to upset Hunk but unwilling to ask in case he is being too sensitive. He did insert himself into Hunk’s comfort zone, after all. Maybe the yellow paladin wants his space back. Keith does as Hunk suggests and searches the castle for Lance. He finds the blue paladin in the observation deck, the room practically gifted to him by Coran.

“Hey.” Keith plops down gracefully in the way only he can besides Lance and Lance dually hates and loves it.

“‘Sup?” Lance angles himself to the right to face both Keith and the planetary view outside the window-wall.

Keith shrugs to downplay the importance of what he is about to say but Lance pays attention to the pout on his lips. “I get the feeling Hunk is avoiding me.”

“What makes you think that?” Lance questions carefully.

Keith shrugs again and stares at his hands folded in his lap. “He was distant when I talked with him today and a few minutes ago I asked if he wanted my help making dinner but he sent me away to hang out with you.” Hesitantly, Keith asks, “Did he…tell you if I did anything to upset him?”

Keith’s downcast eyes raise to Lance’s quickly and his hands follow to wave between them. “Not that I expect you to tell me what he said about me! But… I want to know if I’m being paranoid or if I did something wrong. I don’t want Hunk to be mad at me.”

Lance turns his head and stares into space (literally) because it hurts to see Keith’s kicked-puppy eyes. “Hunk’s not mad at you.”

Lance grits his teeth in irritation. He won’t let Hunk do this. If Hunk gives up like this, their friendship will sour in the face of Lance and Keith’s coupley happiness. That is, if Lance manages to woo Keith in the first place. Keith is great, Lance can easily see himself falling in love with the paladin, but Lance loves Hunk too, albeit in a different way, and he will not discard years of solid friendship over a (really) cute boy. If Keith chooses Lance, then that is different. But Lance won’t let Hunk back off without a fight.

“Nope, no, no way,” Lance says vehemently, not realizing he is speaking aloud. He stands up and looks down at Keith.

“I’m going to hang out in my room. Go back to Hunk.” Lance doesn’t wait for a response, believing there isn’t one and everything is settled. Keith sits in shock, staring at the space the blue paladin once occupied, now filled with silence and the absence of body heat.

Having no idea what happened, but wanting to see if Lance’s words are true — that Hunk isn’t upset with him — Keith returns to the yellow paladin’s location. He straightens his back to cover the worry that Lance is wrong and Hunk _is_ upset with him and enters the kitchen.

“What are you doing here? I told you to go hang out with Lance,” Hunk agitatedly says when he spots Keith hovering beside the counter.

“I—Lance told me to come see you,” Keith manages to say, his voice fading out at the end. He wraps his arms around himself and his fingers dig into his sides.

“Oh no. No he won’t,” Hunk grumbles to himself in much the same way Lance spoke earlier. Keith opens his mouth to demand Hunk tell him what is wrong but before he has the chance, Hunk slams a tray into the Altean equivalent of an oven and storms out of the kitchen, muttering to himself as he goes.

Like déjà vu, Keith is left alone in a room after one of his teammates abruptly and angrily leaves his presence.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Staying true to my style, here’s a bucketload of angst followed by healing fluff.

The next few days are no different. As soon as Keith enters the same room as either Lance or Hunk, they flee. They give excuses at first, such as forgetting to make their bed or really having to pee, but the excuses are saran wrap thin and just as see through. Keith notices it is only when he is alone with one of them that they leave. When the entire Voltron team is gathered, things are almost back to normal, though Keith realizes his proximity makes the blue and yellow paladins uncomfortable. Keith learns to stand at least five feet away and never go for a high-five after a battle. He hesitates at the dinner table before reaching for the serving spoon so he doesn’t reach for it at the same time as Lance or Hunk. The way Hunk immediately jerked his arm back as if burned when Keith made that mistake is still ingrained in his mind. Keith’s body memorizes its parameters — his limbs are perfectly contained in the space allotted to him by his chair - no wayward limbs to brush against Lance’s at the dinner table. Walking on a knife’s edge wears him down quickly and after days of this, Keith secludes himself in his room rather than watch his former friends avoid him or jump away from his touch.

Pidge and Shiro bring Keith food when he skips meals, which these days is every meal except lunch, and only because it immediately follows team practice. After the first few times he tries retreating back to his room after practice and Shiro and Pidge manhandle him to the dining room, Keith agrees to join everyone for lunch if they never manhandle him again. He keeps quiet and sinks into his seat, waiting until Shiro gives him permission to return to his room for his cathartic moping session. There he remains, utterly alone until Shiro or Pidge stop by with dinner. Whoever's turn it is berates him as they remove yesterday’s full bowl of food and replace it with today’s meal. Each time, Keith assures them everything is fine. It is only a minor illness and he will get over it soon. Just as soon as he re-hardens his heart to not care that he is the weird orphan no one wants to be friends with. It’s taking more time than he anticipated.

Shiro’s worry grows every day that his little brother remains in his room, barely eating and avoiding social interaction. He wants to help but knows from experience not to push past the barriers Keith sets. Some days, Keith lets Shiro sit on his bed and hold his hand, accepting physical comfort. Keith’s fingertips are cold and Shiro rubs warmth into them. A few times Shiro suggests Keith visit the med bay for Coran to scan him for a virus but Keith refuses, eyes empty as he asks Shiro to leave. After that, Shiro doesn’t press him again. If company and comfort are all Keith will accept, Shiro will gladly provide it. But the worry never leaves his eyes, nor the feeling of helplessness as he rubs a soothing hand up and down Keith’s curved back, staying until his brother falls into a restless sleep.

Keith hates worrying Shiro. He knows his silence is troubling his brother, but he can’t speak about what is hurting him. He doesn’t want to say out loud that the two friendliest, open-hearted paladins hate him and only accept him as a fellow paladin, not as a friend. He doesn’t want to see the pity in Shiro’s eyes nor remind his brother that he never managed to make a single friend at the schools he attended since being adopted by the Shiroganes. Always the outsider, always alone. When he made it into the Garrison he wore a studious mask, too focused on becoming the best pilot to waste time on friendships. But Shiro knew differently. Of course he did; it was him who comforted Keith in middle school when the loneliness strangled the young boy at night.

Keith takes small comfort in the fact that he isn’t lying to his brother or Pidge. He does feel ill. Keith’s stomach is no longer an organ for digesting food. It is a thick knot of cramps, and he curls into a ball with his arms wrapped around himself to lessen the discomfort. Whether the cramps are caused from the lack of food in his stomach because he has no appetite, or the ache he feels from his former friends wanting nothing to do with him anymore is unclear. A heavy weight presses down on his chest, reducing the room his lungs normally have to expand. Sometimes it is hard to get enough air in. The days pass quicker and less painfully when he sleeps, so Keith sleeps most of the day and spends his nights wandering the castle.

Pidge and Shiro concernedly monitor the red paladin’s health, but he doesn’t have a fever and he comes to team training, so they let him be with a stern reminder to reach out to either of them if his illness, whatever it is, worsens. Until then, they take care of their friend as much as he allows.

Pidge enters the kitchen to get dinner for Keith who skipped _again_ and luckily, Hunk is still there.

“Hey, Pidge,” Hunk greets warmly, loading two plates inside the metal floor to ceiling column that functions exactly like a dishwasher but is shaped strangely to maintain its alien mystique. Pidge waves lazily and hops onto the counter. Hunk looks at the spot then turns away.

“Hey, Hunk.” Pidge hears footsteps approach but doesn’t look around, able to identify the person by their shuffling gait. “Would you mind making Keith something light to eat?”

“Oh? Is Hunk making special dinners for Keith?” Lance goads, earning a scowl from Hunk.

“For your information, I haven’t spoken to Keith in a week and five days.” Hunk crosses his arms and tilts his nose up in the air.

“Oh yeah?” Lance retorts, crossing his arms as well and leaning into Hunk’s personal space. “Well, I haven’t spoken to Keith in a week and _six_ days.”

“Oh yeah? Well—”

“Wait, what?!” Pidge screeches, staring at her fellow paladins in shock. “Why are you guys avoiding Keith?”

The blue and yellow paladins respond with silence, too embarrassed to explain they are competing over a guy, their teammate no less.

“Whatever,” Pidge scowls, not in the mood to deal with what is undoubtedly a mess. “I don’t care (for now) why you’re upset with Keith, but he hasn’t been feeling well so can you please make him something light to eat, Hunk?”

Pidge taps her foot on the tiled floor impatiently as Lance and Hunk stare at her in shock. Lance says what is on both their minds. “Keith isn’t feeling well?”

“No, he’s not.” Pidge’s eyes narrow, and she spits, “You would know that if you weren't avoiding him.” Pidge gives up on glaring at her teammates to release a sigh. “He almost never leaves his room, and even if Shiro or I bring him food, he doesn’t always eat it. Some nights when I’m programming in the hangar, I see him on his way to the training room. I thought he stopped going there at night, but I guess he’s picked up the habit again.” 

Pidge shrugs, though she doesn’t fool anyone about how concerned she is. She’ll never forget the red staining Keith’s hands and the torn flesh on his knuckles she cleaned and wrapped because he cared so little about himself he didn’t bother to.

“I’ll make something right now,” Hunk promises, already darting around the kitchen to grab a large pot and alien produce.

“I’ll help,” Lance quickly volunteers.

“Good.” Pidge stares her teammates down and they both look guiltily at their feet, confirming her newest hypothesis regarding Keith’s ‘illness’. 

“Apologize to Keith when you bring him his dinner.” The yellow and blue paladins bob their heads rapidly and with a final warning glare, Pidge leaves them to their task.

“I’m going to make a soup. Can you chop these vegetables, K—”

Hunk’s eyes widen and he opens his mouth to apologize but Lance cuts him off.

“Did Keith help you in the kitchen a lot?” he asks gently, making it clear he isn’t upset by the slip-up.

Hunk hesitates before responding, shoulders sagging. “Yeah. He’d usually chop things for me. It saved me a lot of time, and it was nice having company. I can’t believe I haven’t talked to him in twelve days.”

“Well I haven’t talked to him in thirteen days.” Lance lifts the knife and starts cutting vegetables. “That means I suffered more. So when we bring him his dinner, I get to hug him first. It’s only fair.”

“Sure, Lance,” Hunk agrees with a small grin, bringing the broth to a boil. “But it’s my fault for starting this mess, so I get to apologize to him first.”

“Alright.” Lance nods and passes the diced vegetables to Hunk who scrapes them off the cutting board and into the broth.

When the soup is finished, Hunk ladles it into a bowl and fills a glass with water. He stands to the side of Keith’s door, hands occupied, as Lance knocks haltingly.

“Keith?”

Silence meets their ears and they look at each other with a mixture of concern and guilt.

Lance knocks again, harder this time. “Keith, it’s Lance and Hunk. We brought food. Can we come in?”

The silence deepens. That’s how it seems to Lance, as if the person on the other side of the door is holding their breath to hide all evidence of their existence.

Lance battles with himself. It isn’t right that he and Hunk ignore Keith for almost two weeks but then barge into his room when they are ready to talk, giving Keith no say in the matter at all. But their apology is long overdue. Lance figures this can be tacked onto the long list of apologies he and Hunk need to make. He announces his intent and opens the door.

The lights are on but dimmed. Keith is on his bed, curled into a ball with his back facing them. His blankets are wrapped tightly around him, only his head peeking out.

“Keith? You awake, buddy? We brought you dinner.” Hunk carefully carries the soup and water across the room and sets them on the nightstand.

“I’m not hungry,” the blanket-clad figure rasps.

“Your voice doesn’t sound good.” Lance’s brows furrow. “We brought water too. Come on, have a sip.”

“Just leave,” Keith growls, pulling the edges of the blankets tighter around himself.

“We will. But, Hunk and I need to tell you something first. I know I don’t have the right to ask this, but could you please face us? I won’t feel like I properly apologized if I speak to your back.”

Lance watches the outline of Keith’s figure still, no more rise and fall as his ribcage accepts and expels air. Lance debates whether he should speak anyway or leave and wait for a better time to apologize, but before he is forced to decide Keith turns over and sits up against his headboard, dragging his blanket with him as a protective barrier between himself and his fellow paladins.

“What do you have to apologize for? I only want to know what I did to make you both hate me.”

Lance shoves the sniffling Hunk out of his way because _he_ claimed first hug. Lance all but pounces on the bed to wrap Keith in his arms. He knows he shouldn’t, he doesn’t have the right to hold Keith like this after hurting him, but Lance permits his momentary selfishness because it hurts him to see Keith hurt. He wants to soothe the pain away, though he wishes he could erase it.

Lance lets go of Keith when the dark-haired male squirms to get away. “We don’t hate you. Hunk and I have never hated you. Can we just…Hunk?”

Hunk sits down and lays his hand on the bed, palm facing up. Those glass shards return to stab him when Keith doesn’t take it, but Hunk knows he deserves it.

“Like Lance said, we don’t hate you Keith. It’s actually the opposite. Um, the thing is…” Hunk glances at Lance then at the bedspread. “Geez, this is not how I imagined telling you this.” Hunk raises his gaze to Keith’s, aching from the knowledge that he put that wary look in Keith’s eyes.

“I’m sorry for avoiding you for the past one week and five days and—”

“I’m sorry too! And for an extra day,” Lance adds.

“Right. We’re both super sorry. We’ve been so caught up competing with each other that we never stopped to think about how our actions were affecting you. Which was really awful of us, considering you’re the reason we were competing in the first place.” Keith makes himself smaller and Hunk panics, waving his arms wildly to undo the damage of his words. “Oh, no! It’s not your fault!”

“It’s because Hunk and I both have feelings for you. Of the romantic kind.” Lance cringes. This apology/crush-reveal could not be going any worse.

“Yup. Totally gay for you dude,” Hunk chimes in. Okay, Lance spoke too soon. But it definitely can’t get any worse from this point onward. 

Keith’s face contorts into a disbelieving grimace. “We’re not pranking you!” Lance rushes to say. After the way they’ve treated Keith, he has no reason to believe this isn’t a newfound way to snub him.

Against his own desires, Lance shuffles backwards towards the middle of the bed to give Keith space. The red paladin’s hands are almost white from how hard he is clenching his blankets. Not that that is saying much, since Keith’s skin is fair to begin with. The tension in Keith’s hands slowly dissipates when he is no longer crowded against the wall and Lance smiles reassuringly. His feelings are far from a joke and he needs Keith to know that.

“Remember last month when Hunk and I stayed with you after a nightmare?” Keith nods but his lips remain sealed. “We’ve liked you since before even then. I can’t say exactly when, it was sorta gradual, but Hunk and I are best friends so of course we picked up on each other’s crushes. We decided that to protect our friendship, we would both try to woo you and let you choose who you wanted to be with.” Lance scratches the back of his neck. “Or, you know, obviously you could choose neither of us and then that’s that.”

“Anyway…uh, what is there left to say?” Lance looks to Hunk who shakes his head like a disappointed parent.

“How about the explanation of why we were giant meanies?” 

Lance snaps his fingers and points his index at Hunk. “Right. Okay, so remember when Hunk sent you out of the kitchen and you found me on the observation deck?”

Lance knows Keith is paying attention but his silence is unnerving. With an awkward chuckle, Lance continues. “Well, Hunk here was throwing our friendship down the drain—”

“Hey!”

“—because he decided to back out of our promise and let me woo you without competition. Which was awful, because honestly, how would our friendship survive if I always felt like you were dating me because Hunk didn’t give you guys a chance? I’ve seen you two cooking together and you guys were really cute. I couldn’t take that away from my best friend!” Lance’s voice steadily raises as he argues his version of events.

“So then I sent you back to him to show him I wasn’t accepting his cop out. And it sorta escalated from there until it became really awful and we were competing for who could spend less time with you. Which makes no sense whatsoever. I can’t even reason it out.”

Lance watches Keith’s jaw clench, but the red paladin does nothing more to reveal his thoughts.

“Um, well, I know we gave you a lot to process. So, we’ll just…leave now.” Hunk waits a few seconds before rising to his feet. He spots the forgotten food and pushes the bowl closer to Keith. 

“Please eat the soup we made you. If you don’t like it, or you want something else, come get me and I’ll cook for you. Anything you want.”

Lance rises off the bed and follows Hunk to the door but pauses before passing through it. “I’m really sorry for how we treated you, Keith. I understand if you never see us the same after this, but I hope one day we can at least return to the friendship we had. I miss hanging out with you, and I know Hunk feels the same.” Lance attempts a smile but it slips when Keith doesn’t even look at him. “Okay, good night.”

Neither Hunk nor Lance feel like going to their rooms — they won’t be able to fall asleep anyway — so they head to the lounge. Thankfully, it is empty. Hunk will want to talk — he does too — and this isn’t a conversation they want to have in front of their other teammates.

Hunk drops heavily onto the couch and rests his head in his hands. “We really messed up, Lance.”

Lance releases a long sigh and flops onto the couch, leaning his head over the back, but it lacks the energy he normally puts into his dramatics. “I know.”

“How could we be so stupid?”

“Great question.” Hunk and Lance’s heads whip to the doorway to see Keith glowering at them.

“Not only did you treat me like shit for the past two weeks—”

“Ahem, one week and six days max,” Lance interrupts. “What? We missed you. Naturally we kept count of how many days passed since we last spent time with you.”

Keith lets slip a small grin but shakes it off soon after. They aren’t being forgiven that easily. He holds up his left hand and unfurls a finger with each count of stupidity. 

“You also admitted your feelings to me in the most convoluted way imaginable,” now he has two fingers in the air, “but worse, you leave before I have a chance to respond.” Keith moves closer as he counts, stopping a few feet away and waving three indignant fingers at them.

“What are you talking about, dude?!” Lance catapults off the couch to stand in front of Keith. “We did give you time to respond. You sat there glaring at us!”

“I was thinking!”

“For five minutes?!”

“It wasn’t five minutes! It was, like, twenty seconds!”

Hunk squirms his hands between the red and blue paladin’s pressed chests and pushes them apart. “Whoa, chill guys.”

“Tell that to Keith!”

Keith crosses his arms and cocks his hip. “Oh, so I’m supposed to believe you like me when all you do is blame me every chance you get?”

“I do not! Did you forget about our bonding over _The Road to El Dorado_? Or the nights we spent wandering the castle and talking when we couldn’t sleep?”

Hunk clears his throat loudly, reminding the other paladins of his presence which was the point. “Hey Keith, remember all the funny jokes I told you while we cooked? And that time I had you taste-test something but I added that spicy sauce instead of the sugary syrup and we couldn’t find a cup so you held your head under the faucet to get your mouth to stop burning?” Keith grimaces at the memory and Lance suppresses a chortle. “Uh, good times, right?”

“Okay, enough of this. Keith, you’ve had time to think about what we’ve said, and I assure you we are both serious about our feelings for you. So, will you be the Tulio to my Miguel?” Lance bows slightly and extends a hand.

Hunk mimics Lance’s pose. “Or the knife to my spoon?”

Keith stares down at the earnest expressions of his teammates and freezes. What was he thinking? He wasn’t. He moved on autopilot to chew his teammates out for stumbling through a joint apology and confession before fleeing, but he is quickly regretting that rash decision. His hands clench into fists at his sides as he struggles to find the safest way to leave this situation, with only hisself retaining damage.

“Keith?” Lance raises up and wraps his hands around Keith’s, trying to unclench them. “Hey, buddy, it’s fine. We’ll understand. Whoever you choose, or if you choose neither of us, we’ll accept it.”

“We’ll always be friends no matter what,” Hunk promises, placing his hand reassuringly on Keith’s shoulder.

Keith grits his teeth but can’t stop his body from shaking. He can’t do this. He isn’t good at social situations. He bluntly paves his way through them, and it never mattered before about the aftermath because he didn’t care about the people involved. But now he does care. What is he supposed to say? Who is he supposed to choose?

“Keith…” Lance speaks his name so so gently, and Hunk’s warm brown eyes comfort him.

“Why do I have to choose?” Keith pleads. When both Hunk and Lance remove their touch from his body as if electrically shocked, Keith snaps his gaze to his feet and clenches his jaw shut, wishing a hole would open up beneath him and eject him into space.

“You…want to date…both of us?” Lance speaks slowly as he turns the idea around in his head.

Keith doesn’t move or speak. Lance turns to Hunk who is already looking at him. Hunk smiles and shrugs, and Lance jumps in the air with joy, startling Keith with the sudden movement.

“Oh my god, this is going to be great.” Lance hugs Keith tightly, releasing him a second later. “We’re going to love you so much, you’re going to pass out from love overload.”

 _“Love overload?”_ Keith mouths at Hunk, who grins and shrugs as if to say, _It’s Lance. What did you expect_?

Obliviously, Lance carries on. “Honestly, it’s a good thing we’re trained paladins because can you imagine all the jealous aliens we’ll have to fight off?” He flexes his arm and aims an imaginary gun at imaginary aliens. “Nope, sorry alien dudes, these three hot human specimens are taken.”

Lance stops talking to let the others react. His face drops when he takes in Keith’s guarded expression. Keith jumps slightly when he notices Lance’s full attention on him. “Uh, are you guys sure about this?”

Lance frowns. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

Keith huffs and crosses his arms over his chest. “Have you even thought about it? I’d be dating you _and_ Hunk. _I_ don’t know how that will work.”

Hunk reaches for Keith’s hand and this time he accepts it, though hesitantly. Keith let’s the yellow paladin lead him to the couch where he sits down, pressed between Hunk on his right and Lance settling on his left.

“Lance is my best friend. I can’t think of another person I’d trust with the person I’m dating more than him.”

“Aw, Hunk. Back at you, man.” Lance wipes a fake tear from his eye and Keith stares at them in disbelief. How are they taking this so well?

He accidentally says that out loud because Hunk replies, “The thought actually crossed my mind before, when we were helping you through your nightmare.” Lance’s jaw drops slightly, this being news to him, and Hunk rubs the back of his neck. “I didn’t know what to do, and I was really grateful to have Lance there to help. There are things I’m not good at but Lance is, and vice versa. It will sort of be a relief to know you have another boyfriend to turn to when I can’t be there for you.”

“But what if—”

“Hey.” Lance places his hand on Keith’s arm and rubs his thumb soothingly against the material of Keith’s jacket. Keith wishes he wasn’t wearing it.

“You like both of us, right?” Keith nods his assent. “And we both like you. We’ll figure this out as we go. Together.”

“See what I mean? Lance always knows what to say.”

Lance reaches behind Keith to lightly punch his friend on the arm. “And Hunk gives the best hugs. How about it?”

Hunk obliges, wrapping the smaller paladins in his arms for a suffocating but warm hug. When Hunk lets them go, Lance laces his hand with one of Keith’s and Hunk does the same.

Their moment is interrupted by Shiro, standing in the doorway to the lounge with a smirking Pidge at his side. “Owning how you guys feel about each other will make you better paladins.”

Keith rolls his eyes but flushes, wondering how much his brother overheard, and flushes harder when Lance presses a gentle kiss to his cheek.

“Ew,” Pidge complains with a smile on her face.

Lance laughs. “Better get used to it Pidge, and worse. I promised my boyfriend a love overload and that’s what he’s going to get.”

Keith punches Lance in the arm and shrinks back into the couch, using Hunk’s build to hide himself. Lance winces from concern that he overstepped Keith’s boundaries, though the punch hurt a little too, but is relieved to see the pink spreading across Keith’s cheeks.

 _Sorry_ , he mouths, and is rewarded with a small smile of Keith’s, an _It’s okay_.

“As heartwarming as it would be to watch the newlyweds cuddle together, I’m going to get some sleep. See you losers in the morning.” Pidge turns around and leaves with a lazy hand wave over her shoulder.

“I’m happy for you guys, but I’m going to bed too. Don’t stay up too late, and please keep it down if you go back to Hunk’s room. Mine is right next door and these walls are thin.”

“Shiro!” Keith screeches at his brother’s retreating back, scowling at the laughter echoing back at him.

“Relax, we’ll take things slow.” Lance smiles soothingly and rises from the couch, holding his hands out to Keith and Hunk to help them up. Hand in hand, the primary paladins walk down the corridors until they reach their rooms.

“Goodnight, Keith. See you in the morning.” Lance hesitates before taking a chance and kissing Keith’s cheek again, wondering if Keith will push him away now that he isn’t being taken by surprise. Lance grins broadly when Keith accepts the affection with a blush and soft smile.

“Sleep well.” Hunk kisses Keith twice on the cheek to be even with Lance. Keith smirks at him knowingly.

Hunk and Lance turn towards their respective rooms but are halted by Keith clearing his throat.

“Gee, I wish I had two boyfriends to cuddle with at night.”

Keith questions if he has two boyfriends or a boyfriend and a dog, as Lance energetically pulls Hunk and him by their wrists to Keith’s bed and jumps up and down a few times before arranging Keith in the middle facing him, with Hunk spooning Keith on the other side.

Keith fervently wishes this is not a dream as he falls into a peaceful sleep, protected on either side by love instead of the wall and blade he is used to. Keith doesn’t delude himself into thinking everything in his life will now be rainbows and kittens — that sounds more like a nightmare, actually — but with two affectionate boyfriends, caring friends, and trustworthy teammates wrapping him in warmth and love, the future looks a lot less lonely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t believe I called them the primary paladins. I know that’s what they are, but its just so...I don’t know. This chapter was hella long and I didn’t have the energy to rephrase it.


End file.
